Poultry-killing apparatus.



No. 682,33I.

(Application led Apr.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(In Model.)

j Qi y E l N .f w 1 mrm.. W 0V j.. /0 wir 2 /M @i u W W l y w 0, I]v0/f, CHMMMH -11| N r I l llllu.. HMMLIJ/W. ,Uffa Tw.- n i- GH/w w m .4.hf M /W\\.\ )e o s 6 No. 682,33I. Patented Sept. I0, I90I.

W. LUCK.

PnuLTnY KILLms APPARATUS. (Applimion med Apr. 2s, 1960.) v

(lo Model.) 2 ShBGa-Shoe'l 2.v

' l Wea/Zar TN: mumps uns co. wuo'ruumu. WASHINGTON. D, cv

UNrTED STATES PaTEr l" EEicE.

VILHELM LUCK, OF AGROITZSOH, GERMANY.

POULTRY-KILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,331, datedSeptember 10, 1901.

Application led April 26, 1900. Serial No. 14,485. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom. t may cor/2.067%:

Be it known that I, VILHELM LUCK, a subject of the King of Saxony,residing at Groitzsch, Saxony, Germany, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in or Relating to Poultry-Killing'Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a poultrykilling apparatus intendedspecially for killing fowls, which compares favorably with similarapparatus which have been devised to facilitate only the slaughtering ofbirds, while according to the present invention the killing ofthe birdis effected without any direct interference on the part of man. Theanimal is placed into a dark box into which light enters only through anopening. In striving to get out through the opening with a view ofescaping from the darkness the bird will strike against a frame close tothe opening, thereby releasing a knife actuated by a spring, which willquickly pass in front of the opening and out olf the birds head, or atleast out so far into its head that death must be instantaneous.

The apparatus is represented in the accompanying drawings as applied tothe inner side of a box.

Figure l is an elevation showing the position of the parts when theknife is set, the knife being in dotted lines to show underlying parts.Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when theknife has been sprung. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the crank for settingthe lever. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line C D, Fig. 1. Fig. 5is a cross-section of the line A B, Fig. l.

The knife-lever is represented in Figs. l and 2 only by dotted lines, soas not to hide the parts arranged behind it.

The device is arranged on the inner side of the front wall of the box,the back of which is provided with 'a door, through which the The frontbird to be killed is introduced. wall d of the box is provided with anopening l), above which is arranged the frame of the device.

catch, Figs. l and 5. To do this, the horizontal arm g of the bell-cranklever rests against a pivoted arm h, the latter being held in positionby a projection t', Figs. l and 4. The said projection t' is attached toa lever Z, pivoting at lc, Figs. l and 3, which lever carries a wire oropen-work frame m,arran ged in front of the opening l). When the birdpresses lthe frame outward, the support il of the arm h will be removedand a spring n, Fig. l, will force the arm h downward into the positionshown in Fig. 2, in consequence of which the arm g of the bell-cranklever f will be pressed down, whereupon the catch on its other arm willrelease the knife-lever 4 e, allowing the knife-lever to rapidly rotatein the direct-ion indicated by the arrow, Fig. l, being actuated by astrong spring o, suitably attached to the axle d of the knife-lever, andthe knife, passingclose in front of the opening l), as shown in Fig. 2,will cut off the head of the bird. In the arrangement illustrated a barp, Fig. 5, acts as a countersupport; but it may be replaced by a xedknife, which then, in combination with the rotary knife, will act like apair of scissors.

In order to reset the knife, the arm h is raised into its originalposition by turning a lever q, Figs. l and 2, keyed on the axle of ahandle r, whereby the arm h is so much raised that the arm g of thebell-crank lever f can rise, and its other end will be pressed by thespring s `into the path of the knife-lever arm e, and then theknife-lever is turned back half a turn by means of the crank-lever t,applied to the square-sided axle d, when the catch f will engage overthe end of the arm e. As the arm h ascends the projection 7l will alsospring forward, being actuated by a spring u, Fig. 4, pressing againstthe end of the pivoted lever Z. The lever o, acting in combination withthe arin 7L and a cam-disk w, keyed on the axle (l of the knife-lever,is only intended to hold the latter in the course of being set-a'. e.,after a quarter-turn-a condition which is advantageous in case a han- Ldie, such as r, is used for turning the axle d,

but which is of less importance when a cranklever 't is employed.

The locking device above described requires a special setting (by meansof handle fr and lever Q) when setting the knife. It in- I OLO sures,however, a great amount of security against an unintentional operation,such as by the bird knocking against any other part than the frame m,with great sensitiveness as regards its release. Owing to theadvantageous lever proportions (between thevarms l of the lever lm,between the lever h and bellcrank lever g f, and the engagement of thecatch f on the long lever-arm c) the release is easily effected. On theother hand, the frame m need only be displaced to a very small Adistancein order to insure the release of the mechanism. (See Fig. 4.) Thislocking device may, however, be replaced by another, and the rotatoryknife by one moving in guides.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In a poultry-killing apparatus, the combination with the box orreceptacle having an opening in one wall, a pivoted lever carrying aframe arranged before said opening, a knife adapted to pass across saidopening, means for operating the knife, a locking device for holdingvtheknife retracted, and means for releasing said locking deviceindependently ,thereofbyan outward movement of the frame;

substantially as described.

In a poultry-killing apparatus, the combination with the box orreceptacle having an opening in one wall, a spring-actuated knifeadapted to pass across the opening, a pivoted lever carr infr a frame orcover arranged before said opening,the knife-lever, a bell-crankleverone arm of which engages the knife-lever to hold the kniferetracted, and asprlng-actuated arm adapted to strike the other arm ofthe bell-crank lever, to release the knife-lever; substantially asdescribed.

3. In an apparatus such as described the combination with thespring-actuated knife, the pivoted lever carrying the frame adapted tobe moved outward by the imprisoned bird, the bell-crank lever, forholding the knife retracted, the spring-actuated arm adapted to strikethe bell-crank lever to release the knife, and the stop on the levercarrying the frame, forholding the spring-actuated arm; substantially asdescribed.

4. In an apparatus such as described,.the spring-actuated knife, alocking device for the knife, means for releasing the knife, and meansfor holding the knife While resetting; substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus such as described, the spring-actuated knife, mountedon a shaft, a locking device for the knife, the lever or arm forreleasing the knife, a cam-disk on the knife-shaft, alockinglever oneend of which engages with said cam-disk to hold the knife while beingset, and the other end adapted to be struck by the releasing-lever tounlock the knife-shaft; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

- WILHELM LUCK. Witnesses:

OTTO WORK, C. S. FRANZ DUMMER.

